Turntable

ABSTRACT

A turntable having an inclinable platform provided with a shiftable weight which always keeps the platform in inclined position with one or the other of its end portions resting on the ground ready to receive a vehicle.

United States Patent [72] Inventor RaoulPoissant 708 Chemin Beauce.Beauharnois, Quebec. Canada [21] Appl. No. 794,098 [22] Filed Dec. 27,1969 [45] Patented June 8,1971

[54] TURNTABLE 1 Claim, 10 Drawing Figs.

[52] U.S.Cl 104/35, 104/44 [51] lnt.Cl B60s 13/02 [50] Field of Search104/35, 44, 45, 46, 79, 126; 301/5; ZOO/152.51; 14/71 [56] ReferencesCited UNITED STATES PATENTS 331,450 12/1885 Rothe 30l/5BA 5,373 4/1873Sellers 104/46 1,160,506 11/1915 GOSS 14/71 1,449,767 3/1923 MacLean104/44 2,768,588 10/1956 Robb 104/126 3,077,914 2/1963 Fritts 301/5BA3,314,726 4/1967 Rehnborg 301/5BA Primary ExaminerArthur L. La PointAssistant Examiner D. W. Keen Attorney-Pierre Lesperance ABSTRACT: Aturntable having an inclinable platform provided with a shiftable weightwhich always keeps the platform in inclined position with one or theother of its end portions resting on the ground ready to receive avehicle.

PATENTED JUN 8197i SHEET 1 [IF 2 INVENTOR Raoul PO/SSANT BY fi+jgtL-"AGENT PATENTED Jun 8 197i SHEET 2 0F 2 INVENTOR ROOUI POISSANT TURNTABLEThe present invention relates to a turntable and, more particularly, toa turntable for snowmobiles or motorized snow sleds.

It is a common practice to store a snowmobile in a garage or othershelter when not in use, and because such snowmobiles are usually notprovided with a reverse, it is difiicult and it requires much effort toturn the vehicle around or to back up the vehicle for moving the latterout of the shelter.

It is the general object of the present invention to provide means whichfacilitate the above-noted operation, said means being in the form of aturntable.

A more specific object of the invention is to provide a turntable forthe purpose described, having similar end portions whereby thesnowmobile can climb on the turntable from either end of the latter,said turntable further having shiftable weight means which alwaysmaintain one end of the platform or table resting on the ground ready toreceive a snowmobile, the arrangement being such that after each turningoperation, the turntable is always ready to receive the snowmobilewithout the operator of the latter having to disembark for inclining theturntable into snowmobile receiving position or without requiringanother person to handle the turntable.

Another object of the present invention resides in the provision of aturntable of the character described, to which the rubber endless trackof the snowmobile does not adhere, even in below freezing temperature,thereby eliminating the troublesome adhesion of the track to the cementfloor of a garage or like shelter due to ice formation.

The foregoing and other objects of the present invention will becomemore apparent during the following disclosure and by referring to thedrawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a side elevation of the turntable of the invention;

FIG. 2 is a top plan view;

FIG. 3 is a side elevation, on a smaller scale, and showing also asnowmobile about to climb on the turntable;

FIG. 4 is a top plan view of the turntable and of a snowmobile loaded onthe same;

FIG. 5 is a cross section taken along line 5-5 of FIG. 2;

FIG. 6 is a partial longitudinal section, on an enlarged scale, takenalong line 6-6 of FIG. 5;

FIG. 7 is a plan view taken on line 7-7 of FIG. 6, the platform itselfnot being shown;

FIG. 8 is a plan view taken along line 8-8 of FIG. 6;

FIG. 9 is a side elevation of a prong element, attached to the basemember shown in cross section; and

FIG. 10 is a bottom plan view of the base member and of the prongelement secured thereto.

In the drawings, like reference characters indicate like elementsthroughout.

The turntable of the invention comprises a base member 1, in the form ofsquare or rectangular panel, at the four corners of which are securedground-engaging prong members 2. These prong members consist of a metalplate, of squareshape, bent at its corners to provide downwardlyextending triangularly shaped spurs 3, the prong members being rotatablewith respect to base member 1 about the axis of their retaining bolt 4.

A cylindrical member 5 is welded, or otherwise secured, to base memberand is provided with an outwardly directly flange 6 at its upper edge.

An upright member or tube 7 is also secured, or otherwise welded, tobase member I and is coaxial with cylindrical member 5.

A second cylindrical member 8 is provided with a flange 9 radiallyoutwardly protruding from the lower edge thereof and disposed oppositeflange 6 with the interposition of balls 10, said balls being retainedby holding elements 11 secured to cylindrical member 5. Flanges 6 and 9form opposite races for balls 10.

The second cylindrical member 8 is braced by a crossmember 12 having acentral hole 13 freely surrounding the upright tube 7.

A triple channel member 14 extends across the top of the secondcylindrical member 8 and is secured thereto at its ends. This member 14overlies the outer end of tube 7 and is supported thereby with theinterposition of an axial thrust bearing 15, The cylindrical member 8 isthus supported by the thrust bearing 15 and there is a slight playbetween the balls 10 and flanges 6 and 9 allowing slight inclination ofthe cylindrical member 8 with respect to cylindrical member 5.

Bearing 15 and balls 10 allow free rotational movement of member 8 withrespect to member 5 about the substantially vertical axis.

To prevent disconnection of member 8 from member 5, bolt and nut 16connect the upper end of the tube 7 with the triple channel member 14while allowing rotation between these two parts.

Ears 17 are secured to the ends of triple channel member 14 and upstandtherefrom, and these cars are each pivotally connected to correspondingears 18, which are secured to and extend downwardly from the undersideof a platform 19.

Ears l7 and 18 are respectively pivotally interconnected by pivot pins20, which are axially aligned and their pivotal axis being at rightangles to the pivotal axis provided by tube 7.

Platform [9 is of generally rectangular shape and extends substantiallyequally in the longitudinal direction on each side of the transversepivotal axis provided by pivot pins 20. The platform 19 is substantiallybalanced about said horizontal pivot axis. Platform 19 can be swungabout the substantially vertical axis of tube 7 and can be rocked aboutthe substantially horizontal axis provided by pivot pins 20.

The longitudinal edges of the platform are bent to form side guards 21having an inverted U-shape cross section, these side guards protrudingupwardly from the top surface of the platform. The side guards arehollow and each also serves to house a tube 22, retaining within theside guard by cross rods 23 or other means.

Each tube 22, one for each side of the platform, extends substantiallythe entire length of said platform and is closed or plugged on both ends22.

Each tube 22 is half filled with a liquid 24, preferably a liquid whichdoes not freeze at normal winter weather or tem perature. For instance,water to which an antifreeze has been added, such as Diethylene Glycolor salt. Each tube 22 thus provides substantially equal volumes on eachside of the transverse horizontal pivotal axis provided by pivot pins 20and the liquid 24, upon inclination of the platform, will tend toautomatically move to one end of the tube, all on one side of theplatform, thereby positively maintaining the platform in the lastinclined position. Tubes 22 and the liquid 24 therein form shiftableweight means in which the weight, namely the liquid, is automaticallymovable along the platform upon inclining the latter.

To facilitate manipulation of the platform, the four corners thereof arepreferably fitted with handles 25. The central part of the platform islined with a rubber mat 26. Similarly, the center top portion of eachside guard 21 is covered with a rubber lining or the like 27 to preventslipping when disembarking a vehicle on the platform.

From the foregoing, it is seen that the platform of the presentinvention is symmetrically constructed and its two ends 28 are adaptedto alternately rest on the ground; therefore, a vehicle, such as asnowmobile A, can climb on the platform from either end thereof and canleave the platform also from either end of the same. Thus, in practice,the liquid 24 in tubes 22 always maintains the platform in an inclinedposition ready to receive a snowmobile A or the like vehicle.

The snowmobile is driven onto the platform until the center of gravityof the snowmobile is substantially over the horizontal pivotal axis ofthe platform, then the operator can disem' bark from the snowmobile A bystepping on the lining 27 of one or the other of the side guards 21, andthen down on the ground; he then lifts one or the other end of theplatform to rotate the same, together with the vehicle, at such that thevehicle is now ready to start in forward direction out of the garage orshelter, in which the platform is located.

' When the vehicle has moved out of the platform, the latter will remainin its last inclined position ready to again receive the vehicle; thusthe operator does not have to get off the vehicle to keep the platformsuitably inclined while driving the vehicle onto the platform. From theforegoing, it is clear that the turntable of the invention can bemanipulated by one person only, namely: the vehicle operator, and isalways in a position ready to receive a reverseless motor vehicle suchas a snowmobile.

The handles 25 facilitate the lifting and turning of the turntableplatform with the vehicle thereon.

l claim:

ll. In a turntable, a base member, a substantially flat platform mountedon said base member for vertical rocking movement about a substantiallyhorizontal axis and a horizontal swinging movement about a substantiallyvertical axis, said platform substantially balanced about saidhorizontal axis and having similar opposite end portions substantiallyequally distant from said horizontal axis and adapted to alternatelyrest on the ground with the platform in a corresponding inclinedposition, a shiftable weight means carried by said platfonn andincluding a weight automatically movable along the platform across saidhorizontal axis upon inclining said platform so as to keep one or theother of said platform end portions resting on the ground, with theplatform remaining in its last inclined position, said shiftable weightmeans comprising straight tubes closed at both ends and extendinglongitudinally of said platform and terminating at points substantiallyequally spaced from said horizontal axis on both sides thereof and aliquid in said tubes filling a maximum of about half the volume of saidtubes and having a freezing point below the freezing point of water,hollow-elongated straight side guards upstanding from said platformalong the longitudinal edges thereof, said tubes housed in said sideguards, an upright member secured to said base member, a crossmemberrotatable on said upright member with the interposition of a thrustbearing, ears upstanding from said crossmember, second ears secured toand depending from the underside of said platform and pivotallyconnected to the ears of said crossmember about said horizontal axis,large diameter opposed ball bearing races secured to said crossmemberand to said base member respectively and balls interposed between saidraces, said ball races coaxial with said upright member, there being aslight play between the balls and said faces.

1. In a turntable, a base member, a substantially flat platform mountedon said base member for vertical rocking movement about a substantiallyhorizontal axis and a horizontal swinging movement about a substantiallyvertical axis, said platform substantially balanced about saidhorizontal axis and having similar opposite end portions substantiallyequally distant from said horizontal axis and adapted to alternatelyrest on the ground with the platform in a corresponding inclinedposition, a shiftable weight means carried by said platform andincluding a weight automatically movable along the platform across saidhorizontal axis upon inclining said platform so as to keep one or theother of said platform end portions resting on the ground, with theplatform remaining in its last inclined position, said shiftable weightmeans comprising straight tubes closed at both ends and extendinglongitudinally of said platform and terminating at points substantiallyequally spaced from said horizontal axis on both sides thereof and aliquid in said tubes filling a maximum of about half the volume of saidtubes and having a freezing point below the freezing point of water,hollow-elongated straight side guards upstanding from said platformalong the longitudinal edges thereof, said tubes housed in said sideguards, an upright member secured to said base member, a crossmemberrotatable on said upright member with the interposition of a thrustbearing, ears upstanding from said crossmember, second ears secured toand depending from the underside of said platform and pivotallyconnected to the ears of said crossmember about said horizontal axis,large diameter opposed ball bearing races secured to said crossmemberand to said base member respectively and balls interposed between saidraces, said ball races coaxial with said upright member, there being aslight play between the balls and said faces.